TY - JOUR
T1 - "I am spiritual, but not religious"
T2 - Does one without the other protect against adolescent health-risk behaviour?
AU - Malinakova, Klara
AU - Kopcakova, Jaroslava
AU - Geckova, Andrea Madarasova
AU - van Dijk, Jitse P.
AU - Furstova, Jana
AU - Kalman, Michal
AU - Tavel, Peter
AU - Reijneveld, Sijmen A.
PY - 2019/1
Y1 - 2019/1
N2 - Objectives: Spirituality and religious attendance (RA) have been suggested to protect against adolescent health-risk behaviour (HRB). The aim of this study was to explore the interrelatedness of these two concepts in a secular environment.Methods: A nationally representative sample (n=4566, 14.41.1years, 48.8% boys) of adolescents participated in the 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional study. RA, spirituality (modified version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale), tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and drug use and the prevalence of sexual intercourse were measured.Results: RA and spirituality were associated with a lower chance of weekly smoking, with odds ratios (OR) 0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.88] for RA and 0.88 (0.80-0.97) for spirituality. Higher spirituality was also associated with a lower risk of weekly drinking [OR (95% CI) 0.91 (0.83-0.995)]. The multiplicative interaction of RA and spirituality was associated with less risky behaviour for four of five explored HRB. RA was not a significant mediator for the association of spirituality with HRB.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high spirituality only protects adolescents from HRB if combined with RA.
AB - Objectives: Spirituality and religious attendance (RA) have been suggested to protect against adolescent health-risk behaviour (HRB). The aim of this study was to explore the interrelatedness of these two concepts in a secular environment.Methods: A nationally representative sample (n=4566, 14.41.1years, 48.8% boys) of adolescents participated in the 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional study. RA, spirituality (modified version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale), tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and drug use and the prevalence of sexual intercourse were measured.Results: RA and spirituality were associated with a lower chance of weekly smoking, with odds ratios (OR) 0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.88] for RA and 0.88 (0.80-0.97) for spirituality. Higher spirituality was also associated with a lower risk of weekly drinking [OR (95% CI) 0.91 (0.83-0.995)]. The multiplicative interaction of RA and spirituality was associated with less risky behaviour for four of five explored HRB. RA was not a significant mediator for the association of spirituality with HRB.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high spirituality only protects adolescents from HRB if combined with RA.
KW - Health-risk behaviour
KW - Adolescence
KW - Religious attendance
KW - Spirituality
KW - HBSC study
KW - ALCOHOL-USE
KW - GENDER-DIFFERENCES
KW - SUBSTANCE USE
KW - RELIGIOSITY/SPIRITUALITY
KW - CONCEPTUALIZATION
KW - DOMAINS
U2 - 10.1007/s00038-018-1116-4
DO - 10.1007/s00038-018-1116-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 29845335
VL - 64
SP - 115
EP - 124
JO - International Journal of Public Health
JF - International Journal of Public Health
SN - 1661-8556
IS - 1
ER -